Fate
by Jon Chauttock
Summary: In which Kent Nelson screws with Wally, an unknown lover screws with Artemis, and Dick screws with literally everybody. T for stuff I may do later. Enjoy!
1. Kent Nelson

**Wally**

I freaking hate Kent Nelson.

"Find your own Spitfire, one who won't let you get away with nothin'. Like that girl A-"

And then I take the helmet off.

I have no idea who the hell he was talking about.

M'gann's name starts with M, not A. I have no idea what he meant.

Way to leave a guy in suspense, Kent.

See, the problem is, and I know this will shock you, for all of my dashing good looks and boyish charm, I'm not very good at, um, talking to girls.

But he wouldn't be talking about a girl I hadn't met yet. That wouldn't make sense. It'd have to be somebody he knew.

 _So who was it?_

After we wrap up the mission and debrief, the Team takes a few hours off to just chill out. We watch a movie, have some soda (in my case, a lot of soda, since I metabolize the caffeine too fast to get on a sugar high anyway), and eat some food (again, in my case, a lot of food). It's fun.

About an hour into the movie, M'gann gets up to go to the bathroom, and I see Dick follow her. I ignore it, figuring it a coincidence.

They sit down about five minutes later, and nothing happens for another five minutes.

Then Conner goes to bed.

Five minutes later, Kaldur leaves.

Five minutes later, it's M'gann.

Then it's just Dick, Artemis, and me.

Dick smiles. "I'm going to bed too. No funny business, lovebirds."

She frowns. "As if."

I stay silent, just thinking to myself. _"Doesn't Artemis start with A?"_

I ignore the thought. Even Kent Nelson, the magic believer, couldn't believe in something so dumb as Wally West and Artemis Crock together. That's just dumb.

Right?

* * *

 _I open my eyes in the middle of some sort of dream._

 _I guess I must have fallen asleep on the couch, because I'm now outside and there's a girl holding my hand._

 _She's pulling me after her, running down a sidewalk past all of these small shops, no places that I've ever seen before._

 _I hear laughter, I see sunlight, and I feel happiness._

 _It's amazing. I'm smiling, everybody I pass on the sidewalk is smiling, and everything feels like it couldn't possibly be better._

 _I know it's a dream, but I wish it wasn't._

 _Then it dawns on me that I have no idea who the girl holding my hand is._

 _I look up to see her… and the last thing I see before I wake up is a flash of long, golden-blonde hair._

* * *

I open my eyes.

"Damn you, Kent."

Artemis looks over at me and raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

I shrug awkwardly, knowing that I'm in a weird, vulnerable position. Sleeping will do that to a person. "Oh, nothing. Weird dream."

She laughs. "You fell asleep and I didn't even mess with you. That's disappointing. I wish I had noticed."

I smirk. "Lucky me. You know I would never have let such an opportunity get away."

She smirks back. "Only because you're always staring at me."

I turn an uncomfortable shade of red, and I thank God that the lights are off. "You wish."

"No wishing necessary if it's already happening."

"Ha! You admit that you'd wish for it."

"Ugh, you are _so_ annoying! No, I wouldn't!"

"Sure, Beautiful. I totally believe you."

It takes me 0.326 seconds to realize what I just called Artemis.

It takes her 0.139 seconds longer to process it, and then we both get really, really uncomfortable.

I start talking, the same way I react to all uncomfortable situations.

"I, uh, I'm really tired. I think I'll, uh, just, um, go to bed."

She nods rapidly. "Yeah, I'm, um, a little tired too. Good night, Wally."

"Um, good night, Artemis."

We walk to our respective rooms, and the movie we had been watching plays on, unnoticed by anyone.


	2. Sort Of

**Artemis**

Wally, what the hell?

 _"_ _Sure, Beautiful. I totally believe you."_

Oh, shit.

Why would he say that?

Maybe he was just messing with me?

Maybe he… meant it?

I have no idea what to do right now. I'm lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, wide awake with no idea what to do.

I shouldn't care. I shouldn't be confused. I hate Wally. Who cares if he thinks I'm pretty? I hate him.

Don't I?

I have to hate him. I can't like Wally West. He's so arrogant and whiny and flirtatious and oblivious and cute and obnoxious and…

Wait a second.

Cute?

Wally West isn't cute.

I mean, sure, the red hair thing works with his personality and he's got the body of a speedster which definitely isn't a bad thing and I've always had a thing for freckles, but that doesn't make him cute.

Oh, wait.

"Damn it." I say it under my breath, but it sounds a lot louder in my head.

I, Artemis Crock, think that _Wally freaking West_ is cute.

When the hell did _that_ happen?

* * *

 _I open my eyes to find myself somewhere else._

 _It seems that I finally fell asleep, and as I look around, I'm in the middle of some sort of fancy restaurant._

 _There's a guy across the table from me. He's smiling. That's all I can see. The rest of his face is blurred out._

 _Stupid cryptic dreams._

 _I look down at myself and I see something really weird._

 _I, Artemis Crock, am wearing a dress. A really, really nice one._

 _That's new._

 _I don't think I even own a dress._

 _I hear myself talking to the guy. Laughing._

 _I feel myself smiling, too._

 _Happiness is practically radiating off me. This guy, whoever he is, has actually made my cold exterior melt._

 _He's laughing with me. He reaches across the table, grabs my hand, and squeezes it._

 _I feel myself smiling. I really, really wish I knew who this guy was._

 _"_ _Artemis, I love you."_

 _I blush. And now that I think about it, this guy sounds a lot like…_

* * *

And I wake up. My train of thought is totally gone now. I have no idea who I thought that sounded like.

I try to shrug off the dream, but as I lie in bed, wide awake, I can't.

 _Who could that have been?_

For all I know, somebody I haven't met yet. Or somebody that doesn't exist.

But still. That was… special.

I look at the clock next to my bed. 4:13 in the morning.

I yawn and go to make myself some coffee. I would have woken up pretty soon anyway.

My surprise when I walk into the kitchen is that Wally's already there.

We're both silent for a minute, remembering what happened just a few hours ago. He's eating a sandwich, and I'm making my coffee.

He speaks first. "Sleep well?"

"Eh. Not too bad for being up at four in the morning."

"Can't argue with that. It is awfully early. Why're you up?"

"Weird dream. Couldn't get back to sleep. You?"

"Same, actually. I'll share if you do?"

"Nah. This one wouldn't make sense to you. It doesn't even make sense to me." That's true, but he doesn't have to know why.

"Try me."

"I'd rather not."

He nods and drops the subject.

He speaks again a minute later. "Any plans today?"

"Nah. I don't think we have training until later, though. Maybe around six?"

"Yeah, I think that's it. Listen, Kaldur's in Atlantis again, Dick's doing his whole Dynamic Duo thing, and I don't want to think about what Conner and M'gann are doing, but it's definitely not appropriate. So I was going to go to some festival they're having in Central City - rides, food, all that good stuff - but I have nobody to go with. Would you want to, um, well, uh…"

I smirk. "I'll meet you at the Central City zeta at ten. It'll be fun."

"Yeah. And do you, um, maybe wanna go to dinner after before training?"

I can barely keep from laughing. "Wallace, are you asking me out?"

He shakes his head violently. "No, no, no, no, no, purely platonic."

I raise an eyebrow. "And would you be paying for this _purely platonic_ meal?"

"I guess so?"

"Doesn't sound so platonic… but I'm not one to turn down free food. It's a date. A platonic date." I'm enjoying how flustered he is right now.

"Um… great! I'll meet you at ten!" He speeds off, and I start walking back to my bedroom, smiling.

And then I stop dead.

I just agreed to go on a sort-of date with Wally West.

I take a detour and knock on a door.

A bleary-eyed Martian opens it a moment later. "Artemis, it's 4:30 in the morning. What could you possibly need?"

"IjustkindofagreedtogoonasortofdatewithWallyandIdon'tknowwhattodobecauseihaven'tdoneanythinglikethisbeforesopleasepleasepleasehelpmeM'gann!"

"English, please?"

"I'm going on a sort-of date with Wally and it all happened so fast and he was asking and I was saying yes and _M'gann what do I do?"_

Suddenly, she's not very tired anymore. "When is this happening?"

"Ten?"

 _"_ _You're telling me I only have five and a half hours to get you ready?"_

"It takes that long?"

"Get in here, Artemis. We have work to do."

* * *

"Conner, you have to help me! It's Artemis, for crying out loud! I don't even know what I was doing!"

He sighs. "Get in here, Wally. We have work to do.


	3. Preparation, Part 1

**Wally**

"Conner, you have to help me! It's Artemis, for crying out loud! I don't even know what I was doing!"

He sighs. "Get in here, Wally. We have work to do.

I'm freaking out. I, Wally West, am officially _freaking the hell out._

I can't hang out with Artemis! I hate Artemis! And Artemis hates me!

I mean, sure, there was that dream that I had about the girl with the golden hair, and then Kent Nelson mentioned a girl whose name started with A, but that doesn't mean it's Artemis!

I mean, it'd have to be a girl that Kent and I both knew of, and I don't know any other girls like that, but… that doesn't mean it's Artemis!

Right?

 _Right?_

"Uh, Wally, are you talking to yourself?"

"No?"

Conner sighs again. "So what do you need help with?"

"You have a hot girlfriend."

"Noted. And?"

 _"_ _So teach me how to talk to hot girls!"_

"You think Artemis is hot?"

"I didn't say that."

"Wally, you literally just said that."

"No, I didn't!"

"Wally, it's okay. She's an attractive girl, and you're a teenage boy. You can have feelings."

 _"_ _How would you know? You're not even a year old!"_

"Genomorphs."

 _"_ _They didn't teach you feelings!"_

"You're right. My _hot girlfriend_ did."

"Noted."

We're both silent for a second.

"I still don't think she's hot."

"Then what do you need help with?"

 _"_ _Talking to hot girls, obviously!"_

"You called her hot again."

I take a moment to think about this.

Do I find Artemis Crock hot?

I mean, sure, I'm fascinated by the golden hair-gray eyes combo, which should be a genetic impossibility, and her smile, when it's not actually a smirk, lights up the world. And then her body…

"Wally?"

Nope. She's not even remotely cute.

Not cute at all.

"Yeah?"

"You were talking to yourself again."

"No, I was talking to you."

"In that case, what did you want to tell me about lighting up the world?"

I'm silent for a moment. "Never mind. What am I supposed to do?"

"Why are you asking me this at five in the morning?"

"I'm freaking out, Kaldur's clueless, and if you think I'm asking Robin…"

"Noted. Okay, um… buy her whatever she wants, be nice, try not to fight with her, and, uh… try not to stare at her ass too much."

It's all I can do not to burst out laughing.

"I'll… make sure I keep that in mind."

"Oh, and don't wear a Flash T-shirt. For your own sake."

I nod. "That all?"

"I think so."

I nod. "Thanks, Conner." I start to leave.

"Oh, and Wally?"

I turn around. "Yeah?"

The clone smirks. "Don't kiss her unless you're at least seventy percent sure she'll kiss you back."

I walk out of Conner's room, completely silent.

I head over to mine and set an alarm for eight o'clock.

I need a nap.

* * *

 _I'm dreaming again._

 _I think. I'm still in bed, so I might actually be awake._

 _"_ _Hey, babe. You awake?" I hear a voice behind me that sounds vaguely familiar._

 _"_ _Yeah, did I wake you up?" I hear myself talk now._

 _"_ _No, I was just lying in bed. Didn't feel like moving from next to you."_

 _I feel myself smile. "Well, it's a good thing you don't have to."_

 _I feel an arm, presumably an arm belonging to that female voice, wrap around me, and I feel myself smile again. I reach out to grab something, and I notice that the Wally that I'm not in control of has grabbed a lock of hair._

 _The voice laughs. "You always did love my hair."_

 _I look down to observe this lock of hair that I've taken from the female voice._

 _It's golden._

* * *

And then my alarm goes off.

"Stupid golden hair. Stupid Artemis. Stupid everything that's happening right now."

"You know, Wally, you really should be getting ready soon. We can't have you late for your date."

I jump, terrified by the new voice that I was unaware was in my room.

Dick smiles. "Hey, buddy. Put on some pants and then we'll talk strategy. Can't have you going on your date unprepared."

 **Okay, so this is a little different than the canon timeline. Even though the Kent Nelson episode just happened and we haven't even been to Bialya, M'gann and Conner are openly dating and Wally is pretty much over it. Also, Wally and Artemis are more in their post-Failsafe relationship where it's still tense, but not necessarily hatred anymore.**


	4. Preparation, Part 2

**Dick**

Oh, this is too much.

"Dude, how the hell did you get in here?"

I grin. I swear, he sets me up for this line on purpose. "Because I'm Robin."

He facepalms, and I grin again.

"If it makes you feel any better, dude, she's as scared as you are."

"Don't you have a Gotham lunatic to beat up?"

"Nah, Bats is going solo today. He said I could have some time to explore the wonderful world around me."

"You're planning to third-wheel."

My grin still hasn't left my face. "Invisibly third-wheel. Do you have any idea how much material this could hold? You might do nothing and it might be a bust, but you also might make out on the top of a Ferris Wheel."

"And what makes you think that would ever happen?"

"Dude, you are about as subtle as a stereotypical bank robber, and I'm smart enough to know that Artemis is having thoughts. I saw her on the cameras I have planted around this place right after your little conversation - smooth, by the way - and she looked _freaked._ She's into you, dude."

"She might have just been freaked _because we're supposed to hate each other."_

"Supposed to?"

His telltale ginger blush creeps onto his face and he does his best to ignore it.

"We _do_ hate each other!"

"Yeah. Sure, buddy. I believe you."

"Really?"

"No. Anyway, do you need money?"

"I don't want your charity, rich kid."

"So you're fine."

"Didn't say that."

"So you need money?"

"Didn't say that either. I've probably got enough at home, and you'll be stalking me anyway if I need more."

"Okay, that's one issue done. Next, what are you wearing?"

"Uh… jeans?"

I nod, figuring that this will work. "And your shirt?"

"Flannel?"

Dead silence from me.

"Dick?"

"Wally, if you wear flannel, I will shove a Birdarang so far up your ass…" I trail off, letting him picture that.

"What's your problem with flannel?"

"You know how I feel about flannel."

"Do I?"

"Wally…"

He laughs. "Oh, rich people… fine, no flannel. Then what?"

I think for a second. "Just wear some sort of solid-colored shirt. Keep it simple."

He decides on red, and I nod. "It should work. What do you need to bring?"

"Myself and money?"

I think on this. "Yeah, that seems right. Now onto the important stuff."

"Meaning?"

"Wally, you find Artemis attractive, yes?"

"Sure. That doesn't make me like her more."

I laugh. "Wally, you're a teenage dude. It's okay, I am too, but you can't seriously say that her being attractive has no bearing whatsoever on your opinion of her."

He's silent for a while. "Okay, yeah. Get to the point."

"What are you going to do if you get the signal?"

His eyes go wide. "Artemis would never give me the signal."

"Are you that sure? Where are you taking her to dinner?"

His eyes get wider. "I really should figure that out."

"Dude, with your speed, you can literally take her anywhere in the world for dinner."

"We'll get to that. I'm still curious about this whole 'signal' thing."

"Wally, I'll solve that problem for you really quickly. If you get the signal, _you make it happen._ "

"What do you mean by it?"

"No clue. I'm even younger than you, dude."

"… Do I kiss her?"

I burst out laughing. "Do you want to?"

"… You know what, if that happens, I'll make the decision in the moment."

I laugh again. "Okay, dinner. Ideas?"

"I don't know… nowhere too romantic?"

I grin. I have a plan, but he doesn't know it yet. And if I have my way, he won't until dinner. "Let me handle your dinner plans. I'll make you a reservation in Star City at this Vietnamese place I know. Bruce is friends with the owner, so I can get you in there."

"… Can I trust you?"

"Wally, I'm your best friend. I know what you want."

 _"Even if you don't,"_ I think to myself.

"Okay… make it for five o'clock. That should give us enough time to get to training."

"I'll make sure Black Canary knows. She'll be fine if you're a few minutes late."

He grins. "Thanks, dude. I'm annoyed that I woke up to find you staring at me, but you've been helpful."

I grin back. "No problem."

He gets up from his bed. "I'm gonna go for a run around the world. I need to destress."

I nod. "I'll see you at a quarter before ten to make sure you haven't done anything stupid."

He nods back. "Later, dude." He speeds off.

I laugh as soon as I hear the Zeta Tube announce his departure.

"Wally West, you have no idea what you've just done."

I pull out my phone. I have a dinner reservation to make.


	5. Preparation, Part 3

**Artemis**

I look myself over in Megan's mirror and nod. I actually look good.

After some insistence from me that I wasn't wearing any sort of pink for any reason ever, Megan decided I should probably just wear jeans and a plain white top.

I even compromised with her about makeup, saying that she could put some on, but only enough that Wally could only notice it if he was actually really looking.

But even while I look myself over, feeling proud of my appearance for once in my life, something keeps nagging at me.

 _Why am I so nervous?_

I've been freaking out since the second I agreed to spend her day with Wally, and I don't know why.

It's not like I'm into him or anything. Sure, I recently discovered that I find the speedster cute - _very_ cute - but that doesn't really change anything between us. I still don't like him.

"Um, Artemis, you know I can read your mind, right?"

I groan. Leave it to me to think about stuff like this with a mind-reading Martian in the room.

"Weren't you supposed to stop reading our minds, M'gann?"

I turn around to see the green girl shrug. "It's like trying to ignore a screaming person. I couldn't really _not_ hear your thoughts."

I sigh. "Okay. Fine. What do you want to say?"

"That even if the two of you don't know it yet, this is your first date."

My eyes widen. "M'gann, that's not funny."

The Martian girl shrugs again. "I'm not kidding. You clearly like Wally, and Wally clearly likes you, but neither of you are willing to admit it to yourselves."

Despite myself, my heart speeds up a bit at the idea of Wally liking me, but I dismiss it as nothing. "I don't like Wally. We're kind of friends now, I guess, or at least friendlier than we were, but I don't like him and he doesn't like me."

M'gann smiles. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Of course I believe that. Why wouldn't I?"

"Probably because he totally likes you and you totally like him." I wheel around in surprise to discover that Robin is standing inside of my room.

"No, he doesn't, and no, I don't."

Robin shakes his head and smiles. "I saw your little exchange from this morning on the surveillance tapes. Yes, he does, and yes, you do."

I shake my head. "You're full of it, bird boy."

He grins. "But am I? Think about it. Wally's been surprisingly nice to you lately, and now that he's not being a dick, you're realizing that you really actually enjoy his company. That's why you accepted his invitation. You want to spend time with him, even if it's just the two of you."

As I think about it, Robin is right. Wally has been nice lately, and I actually have kind of enjoyed spending time with him. "Okay, let's say that's true. Why does that mean we like each other?"

"Well, why do you think Wally's demeanor has shifted? And why do you think he said yes when he asked you out on a date? Don't try to tell me it's not one - we both know it is."

I shake my head. "I don't know why he's acting different, and it's not a date. So you're wrong."

I see M'gann and Robin share a glance and start laughing, but I don't ask why. I really, really don't think I want to know.

Robin leaves soon after that, and I'm left sitting on my bed with M'gann.

"Artemis, what if he tries to kiss you?"

I turn to M'gann in surprise. "He won't. He's Wally."

She shakes her head and laughs. "And if you're wrong?"

I ponder this for a moment. "I… well… I'll figure it out in the moment. But I certainly won't kiss him back."

I may not know it yet, but that's not at all true.

The grin never leaves M'gann's face. "I'm going to have so much fun when you get back. You and Wally are actually going on a date!"

I groan. "It's not a date!"

M'gann raises an eyebrow. "He's paying. It's a date."

I shake my head. "Then I'll pay for myself."

"He won't let you."

"I'll do it anyway."

"Artemis…" M'gann looks a little concerned. "Just don't do anything rash, okay?"

I shrug. "What is there to do?"

M'gann sits quietly for a moment. "Artemis, have you ever been on a date before?"

I shake my head. "No, and _this isn't a date."_

She shakes her head back at me. "I'm ignoring the lack of truth in that statement, because that isn't what this is about. Actually look at Wally today. Don't look at him as Kid Flash, look at him as Wally West. He may be a dork, but he's a sweet guy. And he likes you."

I'm silent for a long, long time before I respond. Too long. "You really think he likes me?"

She smiles. "I know he does."

I stand up, look at myself in the mirror one last time, and walk out of the room to face the most dangerous mission of my entire career.

 **Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've been unbelievably busy and I've kind of gotten away from Fanfiction, but I'll come around and update some things every once in a while. I hope you enjoy this, and please read and review!**


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